Spring cleaning is a common habit for many homeowners during the spring, but some forget to include their HVAC systems in their spring cleaning festivities. This HVAC spring-cleaning checklist will help you start the season off right and make the rest of your year more efficient and comfortable.
Spring HVAC Maintenance (Professional)
You can do many spring cleaning tasks on your own (even tasks related to your HVAC system), but some things just require a professional touch. Hopefully, you already have a maintenance schedule set up, but if not, now’s the time to get started. Following the winter, HVAC systems need a checkup, which often involves cleaning and maintenance, to remedy the extra strain the system experienced during the winter. Professional maintenance during the spring will strengthen your system in preparation for the upcoming summer, as it increases heating and cooling efficiency.
With the maintenance necessary in the spring also comes the need to address the increased allergens in the air. Even if you’re not particularly susceptible to allergens, harmful particles will reduce your indoor air quality, putting a damper on your day and reducing your HVAC efficiency. To counteract the negative IAQ effects of allergens, have your local HVAC contractor install a whole-home air purifier, which will catch more particles than a standard air filter.
The spring season is also an excellent time to have your ducts inspected. Over time, dust and dirt collect in air ducts, which will decrease efficiency and indoor air quality. A portion of your ducts may also be leaking, causing you to lose air and further reducing efficiency. This also allows outside air into your ducts, which can further reduce indoor air quality. Your local HVAC contractor can inspect your ducts and suggest any necessary cleaning or sealing.
Spring Maintenance (DIY)
In addition to the professional spring cleaning and maintenance that your HVAC system may need, there are plenty of things you can do around your home to increase efficiency and air quality this spring season. Whether you have a whole-home air purifier or a standard air filter, those filters need to be changed. A standard filter needs to be replaced monthly, while a whole-home air purifier filter needs to be replaced less often (six months).
While changing filters will be a task you worry about less often, you can make a habit of keeping the area around your HVAC system clean. Clear dirt and debris from around both the outdoor and indoor components of your HVAC system. That debris may not seem significant enough to hinder your system, but any amount of obstruction reduces efficiency.
In addition to cleaning around the HVAC system, keeping your home clean will actually increase your system’s efficiency. This spring, in addition to your normal cleaning habits, regularly clean your floors, curtains, and bed sheets. When the weather outside is so agreeable, windows are left open and more time is spent outside. This increases the potential for the previously mentioned parts of your home to get dirty.
Benefits of Spring Cleaning
The number one benefit of HVAC spring cleaning is increased efficiency. With professional maintenance, less strain due to hindrances, and a clean home, your system will work the way it was built to work. And of course, keeping your home cleaner will increase indoor air quality and give you greater comfort and peace of mind.
Get the most out of the spring season by setting aside a weekend to complete these HVAC spring-cleaning tasks. A few hours of your time will save you money and give you a more comfortable spring than you would have had otherwise. Let Climatic Conditioning do our part of your HVAC spring cleaning. Give us a call at (941) 758-3080.
Image provided by Shutterstock
